Singing
by MeinBritishBroski
Summary: This is an old fic I haven't bothered to edit. It's Nordic yuri. SuFin and DenNor. For some reason Finland is pregnant... idk due to Norway's magic or something. Just fluffy angsty stuff. Review.


**. s i n g i n g .**

_"Only the strong have the will to sing of their own weaknesses in the middle of the night, when the whole world is listening."_

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><p>When the she-viking dragged the broken woman through the bloodied snow into their home; Taimi was not sure what to think. Her conversation with her Norwegian roommate, Kari, stopped quite abruptly - the only noises were provided by the howling of the wind, the slamming of the front door, the slow crackling of the fire, and the stomping of the Dane's boots up the strong wooden stairs. Taimi abandoned her hold on her book in favor of wrapping her arms protectively around her swollen middle, she gazed intently at the woman bleeding horribly on their lush red carpet; sticky fingers twitching feebly in the direction of the fire.<p>

This woman could not possible be any real threat. She looked to be half-dead, her intent aquamarine eyes glared at the stairs for a moment, before softening and turning to gaze at Taimi and Kari. The latter rose unsteadily to her feet and reached down to haul the petite Finn to her own feet. Taimi collected herself, but left her book laying abandoned on the floor.

"I will get the bath started for her. I _trust_ she will not do any harm to you." Kari's voice came out completely flat, followed by a pointed glare at the Swede lying on the floor.

Taimi nodded. As soon as Kari left, she knelt next to the taller woman and got her into a sitting position. A dark red patch stained her middle; two long slash marks extending from it - simply a deep cut to the stomach. Not easily recovered from, but fixable, Taimi mused, as she slowly began to peel up the thick wool clothing to expose the flesh wound. The woman, who Taimi presumed to be Swedish, inhaled sharply and grasped at the hem of her cloak, stopping her from pulling it up any further.

"'m s'rry fer askin'. B't wh't is yer n'me?" Taimi was startled at the pained voice, but quickly recovered, offering a weary smile.

"O-oh! Taimi... and that was Kari. She's got a little sister we call Ai... how about yours?"

"Oxenstierna. Berrit Oxenstierna."

"That's a very nice name... Now, I'm so sorry, I'm trying to help, but you have to let me look-" Taimi knew this introduction was not needed - they knew each other, quite well, in fact.

Berrit jerkily tore her cloak open, revealing breasts pressed flat by bandages and the sticky, fleshy wound, dead center of her stomach. She sighed and leaned forward, she was about to get up, but paused when Taimi held up her hand in a 'stop' gesture. She got stiffly to her own feet first - her stomach in the way - before helping the wounded up and leading her to the upstairs bathroom where the bath was ready - thick bandages and old sleep-clothes set off to the side for the Swede.

Taimi made quick work of the other's injury, cleaning it and dressed it as an expert would. She did not comment on the other scars littering her paled flesh, nor did she care to call out Berrit's excessive staring at her bump. The tall woman washed her face and legs with the warm water and slipped into the clothes that Taimi offered to her.

In a clearer voice, Berrit spoke once more. "Has that horrible viking ever done anything to hurt you?"

Taimi thought long and hard about her answer. Maiken had hurt everyone under that roof, claimed them, conquered them, beat them. But that had been only a few bad days in particular. Good days it was all laughing and drinking and quiet days of watching the snow fall. Taimi quite loved those days, and no, Maiken had not hurt her since Taimi announced that she was with-child. Maybe Taimi had been wishing, hoping, and believing strongly in old folklore since Berrit's last departure. Maybe Kari had done something she shouldn't have-

"Not me... not recently." _she's not as barbaric to me as she is to you._

A long, uneasy silence settled on their shoulders.

"Where am I to sleep tonight?"

"The only open space is my bed-"

"I couldn't possibly, you're preg-"

"Stop it! It's fine! We're all the same here! I'm no different than you, or Kari-"

A soft padding noise of feet alerted Berrit to the small pre-teen with white hair standing in the doorway, a medium-sized bird perched on her forearm. She stared coldly at the stranger with the wound and then gained the attention of the rambling Finn, who instantly quieted when Ai decided to clear her throat rather loudly.

"I'm sorry, Ai, did you need something?"

"I came downstairs to tell you that if you keep shouting like that, you'll scare the baby awake." she spoke as if that were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Ah, thank you, dear," Taimi's cheeks grew bright pink with shame, "Tell Kari - if she's still awake - that Berrit and I will be up soon."

Ai nodded curtly to the both of them and then left, walking sure-footed down the pitch-black hall. They waited until the white hair vanished into one of the rooms before they made their own way down after her into the dark, cold, yet stuffy room.

On the way down Berrit peeked into one of the rooms and saw a slow movement, heard the sheets rustling. She averted her eyes and looked forward again at Taimi's form, which seemed to glow.

"Just leave them be. Don't acknowledge it." Taimi's voice had an urgent edge to it as she tugged the taller roman down the hallway.

"Th'r's a ch'ld 'bout."

"I know, but Maiken gets what she wants - it's her house."

Taimi closed the door behind them and opened up the window, looking outside and waving; Berrit wasn't sure to who, though. Taimi got Berrit's bed ready and forced her to lie down in the bed that was just a bit too small.

"Taimi-"

"I'll sleep in Kari's bed. She... she won't be back until early in the morning."

"Oh..."

The night, already halfway over with, got crisp and cold too fast. Berrit wanted to curl into herself; she felt like she was freezing from the inside out. But her wound, and the skin around it, stretched painfully and she could feel the blood seeping out the side. Her breath hitched when she looked over to see Taimi sitting on the edge of her bed, looking out the window. She was murmuring to herself. And... not wearing her nightgown. Just her undergarments. She was going to freeze.

Berrit got up and sat next to Taimi, she took the others small hand in her own large, calloused one and simply held on.

Glistening tears rolled down Taimi's delicate face. Her mouth moved as he fingers curled to grasp the others hand. At first, Berrit did not think she was saying anything. But the Finnish woman's voice gradually got louder.

_"I'm frightened, I'm scared, I haven't slept in a week. Snoring, the big bears, the foxes, and even the sheep. No one will listen, my heart pains me so, and when I go to leave... she screams at me 'no'..."_

Then she sang it again, slightly different, adding words, taking them away. She added whole phrases and then ripped them apart, opening them like presents and discarding the worthless outsides. She was perfecting it. Berrit tentatively stretched her arm out to touch the other's rounded stomach, currently covered in goose-flesh. Taimi's breath hitched and she looked up to meet aquamarine orbs.

"Sometimes I'm afraid I'll never stop." she murmured, allowing the other to touch her, a bitter smile traced along her lips.

"T' st'p wh't?"

"Singing."

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><p><strong>fem!FinlandTaimi -** _of Finnish origin, meaning 'young plant; sapling'_**  
>fem!NorwayKari - **_of Norse origin, meaning 'gust of wind'  
><em>**fem!Sweden/Berrit** - _of Scandinavian origin, meaning '__magnificent'  
><em>**fem!Denmark/Maiken - **_i don't know the origin, meaning 'sea of bitterness'  
><em>

The 'song' is by me. It's visible on my deviantart account. I wrote this fanfiction quite a while ago. Sorry it's horrid and confusing... review, though. Before I take it down.


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